Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) phones have recently been introduced into the market. While WCDMA phones provide much higher data rates than phones using older technologies, the newer WCDMA phones consume more power and drain batteries more quickly. Consequently, the battery life and “talk times” for WCDMA phones is significantly less than phones using older technology. The reduced battery life and talk time for WCDMA phones is undesirable from a consumer perspective.
When engaged in normal voice communications, a WCDMA phone transmits and receives continuously. This continuous operation is one of the primary reasons for the undesirable current drain in WCDMA phones. Another reason for current drain is the presence of a duplexer in the transmit path. The duplexer introduces an undesirable path loss, but is necessary in WCDMA phones because the transmitter and receiver are on simultaneously. Older phones using time division multiplexing, such as GSM phones, switch off the transmitter and receiver for significant portions of time, which results in less drain on the battery. Additionally, a phone employing time division multiplexing does not need a duplexer because the transmitter and receiver can be turned on at different times.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need for new systems and methods to reduce power consumption in WCDMA terminals.